2nd attempt at trying plants...failing hard

jd8521

jd8521

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Feb 20, 2011
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Murfreesboro, TN
So this is my 2nd attempt in keeping live plants. I'm sure I dont understand everything as I should, or I would be successful by now.

I picked up some java fern from my LFS about a month ago. It looks like it is slowly dieing :(. I spoke with someone at the shop and they walked me through lights and fertilizers. I "upgraded" my light to a 20W 6700k light.

I have a 29g tank. The only live plant in there is the java fern. I would love to be able to get it going and growing, but I'm not doing something right.

If someone could explain to me what I need to do to get this thing going I would really appreciate it.
 
What is the stock in the tank, also... what type of lighting are you using? ie: flourescent, pc?
 
With that stock, you should have plenty of "ferts", the only thing I can think of is lighting. With a 20watt light over a 29 gallon tank, you're under 1 watt per gallon. This "should" be enough for a java fern, but it doesn't always work out that way. You may need more lighting over all. I usually suggest that beginners start around 1.5 watts per gallon or so. This gives you enough to grow a good selection of plants without a huge worry of being overwhelmed by algae.

Another thought... how old is the bulb you are using? I assume you mean the tube type flourescent (as opposed to the curly cfl). As these bulbs age, they can lose some intensity. If the bulb is old, that will not be helping.

These are the first things that jump out at me.
 
I was looking for a dual bulb hood, but couldnt find one. Do you have any suggestions as far fixtures go? The bulb was purchased with the plants so its pretty new.
 
I've been using coralife T5 28" dual bulb fixtures for a few years now and swear by them. They can be a little pricey, but IMO are totally worth it. I use one over my 29 and it has grown a jungle.
 
Try attaching your Java fern to a peice of driftwood so you can get it higher in the tank and closer to the light. JFs dont really thrive when planted in the substrate. Use a peice of thread to tie it on and it will take root to the driftwood in a while.
 
prober said:
Try attaching your Java fern to a peice of driftwood so you can get it higher in the tank and closer to the light. JFs dont really thrive when planted in the substrate. Use a peice of thread to tie it on and it will take root to the driftwood in a while.
Click to expand...
How did I not think of that? Do you have the rhizome buried?
 
Even though Java Fern is an undemanding plant, it will still benefit from a little fertilizer in the water column. I would suggest even turning your filter off for a little while (30 minutes or so), and dosing a little Flourish or other liquid fertilizer, letting it settle in the water around the leaves of your Java Fern so it can be absorbed.
 
That's what I was thinking when I read the post. Lots of people bury the little rhizome, make sure if you put it in the substrate, you just bury the "roots" and not the "rhizome" of the plant, otherwise it will surely die! I think I had the worst conditions for java fern and it thrived in my tank and got huge! Root tab fertilizer in the substrate, buried the "roots" only. No liquid ferts and only 30 watts of regular fluorescent lighting (18" flora sun bulbs) over a 44 gallon corner tank! Almost no light at all and it grew really nice. It's a really undemanding plant, you should not be able to kill it unless it's planted with the substrate covering the rhizome IMO.
 
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